memento

memento im going to have to say that this was one of the most confusing movies i have ever watched.  i did enjoy watching this movie - it is different, the way it is set up how we dont find out what really happens or what things really mean.  the viewer sees one thing and realizes its the complete opposite, you dont know who to trust or what to believe.  although the movie was not a horror it was suspenseful and it left me wanting more.  i found it interesting how all the peices matched up and how at the end of the movie, you are as understanding as you are confused.  

i understand how this is an existentialist film... leonard needs a reason to live 

-let's be honest... would you want to live a life like that ?  i wouldn't.  i think the pain of loosing someone you love is the worst thing in the world but to live with the memory of how it happened and the terrible way that it happened for leonard- omg i couldn't even imagine- its just so terrible!-

i still dont no who to believe... i want to believe leonard and believe that leonard is the good guy and teddy is the bad guy ... maybe because the viewer was taught to believe that the whole entire movie.  i still want to believe that the wife died and  natalie was really trying to help him and teddy was the bad guy, and leonard's life was really worth something to live for.  i want to believe the story that leonard portrayed his life to be during the whole movie.  i obviously don't but i want to - you know?

leonard continued to look for guys to kill because he was looking for a reason to live.  if he wasn't looking for his wife's killer (that he already killed) then he would have no reason to live.  y would he want to live? he's miserable because his last memory is of his wife dying (which didn't even happen?? i have no idea... kinda) he never understands anything- where his is, who he is, who he knows, what he knows, how he knows what he knows- he lives his day to day dependent on paper, pen, and polarized pictures - in a way, not to be mean, its pathetic, i feel bad for him, how do u live????.... you don't! that's why he is finding a purpose!

leonard is asked several times throughout the movie... why is he living? what is he going to do after he kills this guy? what does he live for? is what he living for worth dying for? --- all existential questions.  about life and the purpose-  

not once is god/religion mentioned in the movie.  neither is destiny or faith.   

i don't know what else to say without repeating myself - i found this movies extremely interesting.  it was different - confusing yet it made sense... long but worth it.... brain teasing yet enjoyable....  i like how i could clearly understand the correlation with existentialism....

i like how i  used the information from class and all my knowledge of existentialism to understand the meaning and significance of the movie and the words/symbols.

 

Existentialism

Existentialism   - i find this topic extremely interesting.  it makes me think of life and the meaning of life in a different way.

 

~i always felt that i had a purpose and my reason for living was to find that purpose and live to fulfill that purpose - if that makes any sense~

the movie I watched was: one flew over the cuckoos nest 

 

 

im guessing the movie is an existentialist film because the men find their passion and themselves back when mcmurphy comes into the ward.  they find their meaning/purpose of life, they begin to understand that they are living for a reason - to have fun and get better ... Not to be tortured and demasculated by the nurse. 

             the men find it in themslves to make their life worth something; even if it is as little as speaking up for themselves against the nurse. 

a movie that I watched that wasn't intended for this assignment was
the invention of lying - I watched it last year and when we bought it
up in class I remembered how the guy invented lying (obviously) and he
helped his community .. Although there was chaos he somehow found a way
to succeed in his life and give an incentive for his community to do
better in their lives.

In both movies there were miserable people who found what they wanted - stuck to their guns
and went with it - no matter what the consequences. In both movies people were unhappy and they changed that - they found something worth living for.

I didn't really like either of the movies but I like what they represented.

tattoooooooooooooooos! ( Blog số 8)

well hello...

this blog is about (dot dot dot)  tattoos!

before i go on with the history and the significance about tattoos i have a few words

bianca's few words::     i love tattoos.  in my opinion tattoos are a way of self- expression.  i truely believe tattooing is an art form because people create masterpieces on other human being's body and i think that is so awesome.  i think that some tattoos are pointless, yes, but most have significance and meaning and emotion behind them and i think it is admirable for someone to carry that around with them for the rest of their lives.  yes some tattoos are just for the hell of it and i think those are cool too, in life not everything has to make sense or needs meaning or reasoning behind it... if you want something do it what the hell?? you live once!!! =D    

as you see in the above picture, tattooing is used for taboo and different cultures around the world.
(most common on the face)

did you know?????  in japan having a tattoo means you are involved in organized crime.  in the russian culture tattoos are a big part of the mafia. 

religion ~ now i know better than to talk about this topic but....

in the mormon, christian, jewish, and islamic religion, tattooing is not allowed (frown upon, forbidden, discouraged).  

however, in the islamic culture many north-african islams use henna as a way to show prints on their body for many occassions.  (i think it is so cool and i love when they do it for weddings because it looks so pretty.)

 
fun fact!   because tattooing requires the breaking of the fermis or the skin, it leaves room for infection and allergic reactions.  many tattoo artists are required by jurisdiction to have training on blood- borne pathogens - like the red cross

tattoos are used for other things rather than for culture and pleasure (or decorative purposes).  they are used for "permanent make-up" and medically to make sure appliances or other things are added to the appropriate place.  tattoos are also used for identification ( nazi germany used tattoos for the identification of jews) tattoos nowadays are only used for identification when it comes to animals   

important to remember!!! tattoos are more expensive and more painful to remove then to apply! make sure you make the right choice!!!

ok so back to me =)

i think tattoos are a great part of humanities.  an activity that was strictly for culture and custom is now one of the biggest art forms around!  lets face it more and more people are getting tattoos- celebrities have them all over, the traditional business woman has one hiding somewhere underneath her work clothes, all the kids want one! i love them and you know someone who loves them if not then you do!  it is a way of expressing one's self through their body.  a print that is there forever that will represent you and what you want in life or a stage that you went through in life.  there are tattoo artists- people that specialize in this field that effect the lives of americans and people all around the globe everyday because of their major

  contribution to society and to humanities.  tattoos have grow and expanded just as much as people and different cultures and it is yet another way for art to grow and have an effect of people.

here are the weeks hottest spots in new york city  http://www.citysbest.com/new-york-city/lifestyle/best-tattoos-piercing/

jus

Gustave Caillebotte ( Blogi numero seitsemän)

hi 

i am going to be blogging about Gustave Caillebotte.  

now, i'm not big on art.  certain things i just don't understand, which is the beauty of art to some people, the whole not understanding is intriguing, they want to make their own stories up in their head and use their imagination but i'm not like that.  i need  to understand things. 

in my opinion, we don't live in a world that appreciates art.  now this is a generalization (which i hate making but just to prove my point...)   when most adolescents go home, they don't research famous artists and learn about them.  we dont learn it in school and it obviously doesn't affect our lives so why do it?  why take the time out of your busy schedule of managing work, school, family and friends, ,and/or any other things in your life to look up a dead artist (or living) and see what they contributed to society?

now im not trying to suck up but i think that one of the perks of humanities is to actually just take the time out to really appriciate art  what is art?  why create art? what has art done for you?  do you create art? these are questions we normally do not ask ourselves however it may be important.

OK SO BACK TO caillebotte 

gustave caillebotte  (my new favorite artist) was a french painter.  he was an impressionist.  he was born into an upper-class parisian family (owners of a textlie buisness).

• i like gustave's art because i feel like it is just real.  another reason why i liked him is because one of his paintings floor scrapers was considered vulgar.  i just like that it was considered vulgar to be honest... it shows he did what he wanted and didn't care what society thought about it.  i also find it ironic how he inherited a fortune when his parents died and was wealthy anyway and his first painting to be shown was a painting of two people doing manual labor- you wouldn't really expect it from a rich guy, you know? i find it interesting as well that labor was considered vulgar.  how real life was considered vulgar.
•  i like real. not that im judging but i dont like art that i cannot relate to.  in my opinion art is another way of looking at life.  in his painting paris street, rainy day it shows a man and woman (and others in the backround) in paris (that had just been taken over by napolean, thats why there are new buildings in the backround)and its raining.  it has to be the most simple common thing- everyone under umbrellas in the city on a rainy day but i really love it because its relateable and its real.  this happens and i love when you can capture life in a painting.
• i also like the city and urban life and the fact that gustave painted most of his paintings on city life interested me even more.

•  another thing i love about gustave's painting is that some are painted as if the viewer is viewing the scence from the top of a building looking down ( go to the link with the pictures and you'll see)  it gives me a message like whatever is going on in life isn't as important as you think it is OR stop and look at things from a different persective.
• he painted of rain and water (diving and bathing) it makes me, again think of life and water is a sign of renewal, or baptism in a biblical reference.  like there is room for redemption or a new sense of clean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Caillebotte    this link is some information about caillebotte

http://www.citysbest.com/new-york-city/news/2011/03/31/online-dating-in-new-york-city-2/   this link inspired me to write about this in the first place because it is an article on a woman who created a way of life off of caillebotte's painting paris street, rainy day.  ***** one thing the girl in the article said is

"Yes, there's always Paris, but there's also always rain."

i love that. shes absolutely right.  i am dying to go to paris number one.  and number two there will always be rain.  its something to think about in retrospect to life... no matter what happens, it will still rain

• (like the world still turns OR if you look at it in a negative way whatever good happens something bad will always happen OR if you look at it positively then the rain washes all the bad or the sin out and leaves a city filled with happiness and hope)

http://www.gustavcaillebotte.org/home-3-96-1-0.html   this link is awesome because it shows you all the paintings that he created.  i noticed that there is a pattern in his paintings.  he draws thing that are real like a man looking over a balcony or a nude woman lying on a couch and then there are paintings of flowers in vases or dead animals.  i find that interesting. 

http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Impressionist/pages/IMP_4.shtml#  this link is just some backround info on paris street, rainy day



what i felt - when i look at art i want to feel something.  when i looked a gustave's paintings i felt a but negative or sad. but not in a bad way  id rather art make me feel sad then happy, call me a freak but i feel more emotion when its negative.maybe its the color or just my perception but i like the way gustave's paintings made me feel.  i don't know  =p

here are some of gustave caillebotte's paintings! enjoy =)

 =) thanks for reading

chris brown-a rolemodel or an egotisical wanna-be (blog nummer seks)

hi =)

this blog is about chris brown and his unnecessary outburst on good morning america this morning (3.22.11)

-for those of you who dont know what happened ill explain to you in my own words

... bianca's own words ...   chris brown's new ablum "f.a.m.e." was recently released.  he went on good morning america (gma), obviously to promote his album, and was inevitably questioned about his violent encounter with rihanna in 2009. [ for those of you who live under a rock, chris brown and rihanna are singers who had a relationship for a year or so.  it ended violently with the physical abuse of rihanna from brown's anger problems. ]  he, in my opinion, rudely answered robins questions and was obnoxious throughout the duration of the interview, adamatley pushing the album and dodging questions about rihanna.  when the interview was over, he went to his dressing room and punched the glass window (which was on the 1st floor in the city no less so glass got all over workers passing by because he is inconsiderate) and ripped his shirt off.  he left the scene before security showed.

*in my opinion*  chris brown is a wanna-be!  i feel his cockiness and desire for acceptance and attention is turing him into an obnoxious arrogant little boy.  i think that because of what other rappers and artists are doing and how they act, it influences chris brown to act the same way, little boys follow others not men. the more songs he does with other rappers, the more of a nuisance he becomes.  i think he's fake- that interview is annoying to watch because his phoniness is so real (if that makes any sense and yes i know i sound like holden).  the fact that his hair is bleached blond like a member of the boyband n'sync from 12 years ago is distracting, again...fake.  a lot of rappers have tattoos so he gets 2 sleeves and a chest tattoo. FOLLOWER! followers annoy me!  the sad part is is that he is a role model to so many boys want to be him, kids look up to him- where do u go off thinking it's ok to hit people (your girlfriend especially), punch and break windows (that aren't even yours to began with (and the fact he left the crime scene without apologizing is pathetic)), and being rude and obnoxious on national television?  since when is that ok?  what because he's chris brown? who is he? that is disgusting behavior and this is what we show young society today? that doing unethical things is ok?  that rich and famous people can do what they want and in turn get more publicity, which benefits them? (even thought this is giving more publicity i am doing this to inform not add on to the press)

 
http://www.popeater.com/2011/03/22/chris-brown-gma-interview/  (this link provides you with a link to his gma interview with robin and a synopsis of the interview gone violent).

http://wonderwall.msn.com/music/chris-brown-reportedly-throws-violent-hissy-fit-over-rihanna-questions-1610438.story   (this link is also a description of his anger due to the interview and some information of the incident with rihanna that happened 2 years ago)

http://gossipcenter.com/chris-brown/chris-browns-window-breaking-gma-visit-490099   (thi slink shows more information on the interview and a picture of chris sweating (from anger) with his shirt off and also a picture of the shattered window.)

http://www.tmz.com/2011/03/22/chris-brown-gma-good-morning-america-rihanna-robin-roberts-violent-outburst-smash-shirt-hair-and-makeup-glass/  (another link that shows the damage done to the building and chris' not caring (stuck his tongue out))

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/03/chris-brown-gets-ticked-off-at-good-morning-america/1?csp=34life  (and to top it all off- this link explains that after the incident he was smiles walking into an art gallery, which shows he has no remorse for the way he acted and doesn't even care.)






> this reminded me of the incident with mila kunis during the oscars that ms.seltzer was speaking to us about.  mila kunis did not want to be remembered for her lesbian part in black swan just like chris brown doesn't want to be remembered as the woman beater but TOO BAD!  mila kunis probably will be remembered for the amazing job she did in black swan and many other things because she is a well known actress who has done an amazing job in all her roles AND chris brown will be known for being a woman beater and a person who is in desperate need of anger management or some other type of therapy (not that anger managment or therapy is bad (no offense to those who go))becuase that is who he is.  you want to act like an animal then you will be remembered as an animal!<

BTW... Holden is the main character from the novel the catcher int the rye by j.d. salinger - read it!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye

Holden uses the word "phony" to describe his feelings towards people he feels are fake.  hence the reason i used it

BASICALLY i don't like chris brown because he acts like an animal and the message he sends out to society is "i do what i want and i don't care about who it effects" -  when your a role model and always in the public eye you must carry yourself with dignity and respect.  he has no class and i feel that not only is he bringing society down but he brings humanities down,,,, he contributes a negative outlook on music and the media.


thank you

kings county american legion headquartes band ( blogg nummer fire)

* first and foremost notice that all of my blogs have different languages in the title- ask what they are... (i know, im so cute teaching you all different ways to say things  =)   =p*

ok so  i know fabia did the same blog but i i didn't read hers yet and i want to see how different our views are on the same topic.  also, because we both thought this performance was inspiring and interesting.

the kings county american legion headquarters band is a volunteer band.  no one gets paid to perform or practice, it's just people from all back rounds and occupations who play a musical instrument, to come together and create beautiful music and enjoy what they are doing.

on a side note- i feel that nowadays people are always doing things to get a reward.  students go to class to get the credit, adults go to work to get the money, and i mean why else would you do things without getting a reward right?  im not trying to say that i would go work 40 hours a week and not take my check, or go to a class and not accept the credit im just saying that many people do things to get something out of it and not just for pure enjoyment.  engaging in an activity is more like something that you have to do instead of something that you want to do.  this band survives and thrives off of people who truly love music and care for the whole ensemble.i admire all of the band members admiration for their instrument, music, conductor, and fellow musicians.  they do not take time out of their busy schedules and practice hard for hours a week and wake up early and drive to a place to perform for money... they do it because that is their passion.

the conductor - SO CUTE! hes a 92year old man who seems like the nicest person ever!  his name is IRWIN MEYER and he served our country in the navy during world war 2 on the atlantic, mediterranean and pacific waters.  one thing i liked about him, besides the fact that he is so cute (i think when people are old and nice they are cute =)) he told us something that his mom told us that stuck in my head.  he said that his mother told him to never go into music professionally, don't go into anything professionally because it will consume your life and "while everyone is sleeping your still up".  literally meaning that when your kids are sleeping you wont be there and vise versa, you don't want to miss out on your life and your family's life.  he said "what do you want? your kids to be raised by strangers?"  i liked that it shows he cares for his family.  i feel that his mom said that because she knew the passion and love he had for music would be destroyed if he went pro and he would loose all the love and desire for it.  another thing that is really cool about his life is that his sister tried out for the rockettes and made it three times.  i love the rockettes!  he was also always surrounded by music and theater when he was a child which probably inspired him to excel in music.

i feel mr.meyer is a huge contribution to humanities because he served in the second world war and is still living to tell his stories which he shared with the audience. 

(before one of the songs he started to cry as he begun to tell us a scence from the war and how it relates to the peice the band was about to play; i felt bad because to live through any war is terrible and you have to be really brave and strong to move on from that... then to continue life after the war is even harder!not only did he move on but he is now teaching and sharing his stories with us.  and!!! he was so cute when he was crying like not that i want to see an old man sad but you just saw the emotion; the pain and joy and happiness and mourning and hardship and strength and everything else in his eyes; it was inspiring and an honor to witness his life all form together into an amazing piece of art, which was the music.  (and we all know how important music is to humanities!)

DID I FORGET TO METION... Licciardi is a band member and the associate conductor.  for those of you who do not know, licciardi is our band director at studio.  another thing you may or may not know i am part of the band at studio.  i play the trumpet and i love it!

-to see licciardi up there conducting was cool because i realized how much he is contributing to society and humanities by spreading his passion, joy, and knowledge of music.  to see him play and following someone else was a little weird because im used to him being the teacher/conductor not the player or the student. =p

they played at the new utrecht reformed church on 18th avenue and 84th street.  i thought that church was abandoned but they fixed it up and are transforming the historic church to a full functioning part of the community.  (the church was founded in 1667 - its mad old   =p  )

tsunami in japan - is it a sign the world is ending? (Blog numéro trois)

hello again,
I'm going to be original and blog about the tsunami in Japan. 

-> what inspired me to write about this was ...

Me and Anthony Falletta (hi ant =)) were at a restaurant picking up food friday night

now, i heard about the tsunami but to be honest i really didn't care, i mean i doesn't affect me and so i never really payed attention to it 

(which is probably messed up but lets be honest are any of you crying over what happened or are you going through your day to day complaining about whats for dinner instead of how millions of people are dying.... you know what i mean?)

anyway... there were t.v.'s in the place so i sat down and watched it and then i saw how all of that water is damaging everything

like... all is gone...

i really felt so bad ... 

(ask ant i was bothering him about it for a good 5 mins after we left the restaurant) =p

PEOPLE ARE DYING - THEIR HOMES, FAMILIES, FOOD, EVERYTHING IS GONE...

http://video.ap.org/?f=AP&pid=su2MWs6tIZDVv6tk9OQJSh4y5di6mnqb
this link, if you click on it shows clips one after the other on the effects of the tsumani to the people of Japan, and shows pictures too.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42056235/ns/world_news-asia-pacific/?GT1=43001

this link describes how the nuclear power plants in Japan can "melt down".

 I'm going to try to explain the best i can but if not just watch the link.... it basically means that the uranium is going to turn into liquid, eat away at whats in its way, like the building it is in, and then escape into the atmosphere and cause harmful radiation to the people of japan.

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/13/japan-man-hiromitsu-shinkawa-saved-from-rooftop-that-floated-to/?icid=maing|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk2|49825
 this link is basically just a sad story of a victim of the tsumani... he lost his wife which is terrible =( and he was lost at sea for days and no resue teams saw him... he survived and he said
"I thought today was the last day of my life," it quoted him as saying.     =(



http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/13/japan-quake-tsunami-death-toll-likely-over-10-000/
"This is Japan's most severe crisis since the war ended 65 years ago,"



-> its crazy to see so many people dying by natural disasters.... first Katrina and now this??

and i've been hearing people say how this is sign that the world is ending- with all these natural disasters and people dying... there's problems with nuclear weapons and everything.... it's hard to think about the future when there might not be one... just food for thought


http://www.freakingnews.com/Tsunami-Pics-57985.asp
this is a link of a picture of the nuclear power plant and the water hitting it 



*COMMENT!!* 
let me know if you think this is a sign that the world is ending??
how do you feel about it?